The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-08-25
CIGARETTES KILLED HIM.
Young Knevals Smoked Sixty of thom evory
Day.
Nclu York SUI


this morning at 62 East Fifty. eighth
streeton the body of Mr.. Russell Fl. knew.
ais, the son of Mr.. Sherman Fl. Knevals,
who Was formerly the law partner of ex.
President Chester A. Arthur, as it has
been rumored that young Knevals had
committed suicide, and had been addicted
to the opium habit. DR.. Charles N.
Leale, ex.United States Army Surgeon,
at the request Of the family, was present
at the autopsy.
1t was shown by Coroner Messengers
examination that Mr.. Knevals had not
committed suicide, but that he had long
suffered from smokers heart, brought on
by the excessive consumption of cga.
rettes. He had been in the habit of
smoking about thres packages or sixty
cigarettes every day. There was also
congestion of the brain. His death was
due directly to coma.
DR.. Lewis A. Sayre, who has treated
many patients suffering from tobacco
poisoning, was found in his handsome old
wainscotted study at 285 Fifth avenue
this morning smoking fragrant Havana
cigar. As the blue smoke circled up
toward the ceiling the Doctor fell into a
reminiscent mood, and going back some
twenty-five years in his experience, told
how he had once saved mans life with
Coffee But before doing this he answer
ed several questions.
"Nlr. Knevals is said to have smoked
three packages of cigarettes day." began
the reporter.
"No wonder he died." exclaimed the
Doctor; "that is enough to kill any
man."
"Is it the paper in the cigarettes or the
tobacco which does the mischief?" was
asked.
"Well, 1 don't thirk we give tobacco
halfthe blame it should have. 1t IS the
nicotine which poisons. You see one of
these manufactured cigarettes is nothing
more than paper cylinder filled with
tobacco. The nicotine cannot percolate
through the paper and is all drawn
through the tube into the smokers mouth.
With q cigar much of the nicotine has a
chance to evaporate through the porous
wrapper. But if you were to cover a
cigar with paper, or collodion, or varnish,
and smoke it the effect would be the same
as that of a cigarette"
"And it would make decidedly un.
pleasant smoke;" suggested the report.
or.
eyes; 1 wouldn't advise you to try it
even as an experiment.
Have you had many patients suffering
from over indulgence in cigarettes?"
eyes, any number of them" !" said DR..
Sayre, and then ne added, with emphasis
"but l never had DEATH"
"And are the symptoms the same as
those of poisoning with opium ?"
"Yes, very similar. Without q careful
diagnosis and a previous knowledge of
the patients habits they are apt to be
confounded. The cigarette habit is like
the opium habit in another sense, too;
once it takes hold of a man he becomes
perfect slave to it. 1t takes an iron will
to shake it off.
'I remember curious case which l
had just at the close of the war. ] WAS
called suddenly one Saturday afternoon
to attend Mr.. Wisdom of the old firm of
Wisdom, Norton & Slaughter, who had a
big warehouse down in Broad Street
filled from top to.bottom with tobacco.
"He never smoked, chewed Or used
tobacco in any form. When l reached
his house he told me that nothing was
the matter with him except that he felt
very weak and languid. he could not
imagine what allied him, and neither
could I.
IT examined him thoroughly and could
arrive at no conclusion, go / called in
DR.. Metcalf and we had a consultation.
DR.. Metcalf decided that Mr.. Wisdom
was going to have typhoid fever, and we
put him to bed and did what we could
for him. The next day I called to see
him again and found him much weaker
and more languid. There was heavy
droop to his eyelids which ] did not
like.
"The house was full of Southern plan
ters, with great, broad Panama hats.
Just as I was leaving the house one of
them came to me and said (: doctor,
that's backer.' I at once saw that he
was right, and drove rapidly to Del
monico's on Fourteenth street, and got
two cups of the strongest coffee that he
could make. I gave the coffee to Wis
dom and saved his life. Caffeine, you
know, is the antidote 10 tobacco poison.
ing"
"And is that the reason that great
smokers are big coffee drinkers?"
"Perhap so. They may unconsciously
crave the antidote to their poison.
The veteran cigarette dealer at Nash
& Crooks restaurant on Nassau street was
asked about cigarettes. He said: "The
sale of them is increasing every year. I
believe that rs per cent. more of them
are sold now than ever before; but if
you have never smoked them don't. l
knew business man who became addict
ed to their use. He said that he would
gladly give 81 900 10 any one who would
enable him to throw of the habit of smok-
ing them but the drugs with which some of
the cigarettes are doctored had got firm
hold of his system and he could not let
go. Your average cigarette smoker